LOCAL

LOCAL Legends of Leatherto add four to hall NILES -- The Legends of Leather will add four new members to its Club Boxing Hall of Fame at the organization's 16th annual induction banquet Oct. 13, at Aulizio's Banquet Center. Set for induction are Bernie Profato, Phil Rogers, James Villers and Fred Conti, the latter posthumously. Guest speaker will be Ted Arneault, president and chief executive officer of the Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort in Chester, W. Va. There also will be 13 awards presented, including the new Rocky Marciano Award. Tickets are priced a $17.50 per person. More information may be obtained by calling Sal Marino at (330) 652-3283. Niners on TV YOUNGSTOWN -- WKBN-TV (27) will televise Sunday's Broncos-49ers game at 4:15 p.m. The Denver-at-San Francisco game will follow coverage of the Bengals-Browns game that begins at 1 p.m. Griffin to speak YOUNGSTOWN -- Archie Griffin will be the keynote speaker at the Easter Seals of Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana Counties annual dinner at Antone's Banquet Center on October 1. Griffin won the Heisman Trophy twice while playing at Ohio State where he was All-American in 1973-74-75. He played eight years for the Cincinnati Bengals. For ticket information call (330) 743-1168. REGION Police check onwoman's story PITTSBURGH -- Police are investigating whether a woman who accused Steelers running back Jerome Bettis of sexual assault lied as part of a blackmail scheme, two high-ranking law enforcement officials said. Penguins' Strakawon't need surgery CANONSBURG, Pa. -- Pittsburgh Penguins forward Martin Straka finally got some good medical news, learning that he probably won't need surgery to repair what was initially feared to be a serious back injury. An operation almost certainly would have ended Straka's season. NATION All counts droppedagainst Iverson PHILADELPHIA -- The last two counts against NBA All-Star Allen Iverson will be dropped because his accusers don't want to pursue the case, District Attorney Lynne Abraham said. Iverson originally was charged with 14 counts, including four felonies, for allegedly barging into an apartment with a gun and threatening two men while looking for his wife. Cardinals signDT Bryant TEMPE, Ariz. -- Defensive tackle Wendell Bryant, the Arizona Cardinals' first-round draft pick, ended his holdout and agreed to a five-year, $7.5 million contract that includes a $5.5 million signing bonus. Andrade's 66 leads PAOLI, Pa. -- Billy Andrade shot a 5-under-par 66 to take a one-stroke lead over J.J. Henry and rookie Kenneth Staton in the Pennsylvania Classic. Andrade, who won the last of his four PGA Tour titles late in the 2000 season, birdied all three par 5s in his bogey-free round, closing with a 2-foot putt on the par-5 18th. WORLD Tennis roundup * TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Top-seeded Marat Safin lost, and second-seeded Tommy Haas withdrew with an arm injury in the quarterfinals of the President's Cup. Safin was defeated by Paradorn Srichaphan 6-3, 7-6 (5). Haas, bothered all summer by pain in his right arm, quit while trailing 6-2, 2-1 against Vladimir Voltchkov. * BUCHAREST, Romania -- Top-seeded Andrei Pavel beat Albert Portas 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the $381,000 Romania Open. * COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil -- Defending champion Monica Seles advanced to the semifinals of the Brazil Open, beating Slovakia's Henrieta Nagyova 6-0, 6-4. Vindicator staff/wire reports